Serving lamb shanks

I just bought some lovely lamb shanks at our local farmers' market. I haven't cooked them before, but I've got lots of ideas and recipes to try. One rather elementary question looms, however. Since not everyone would be able to eat an entire shank, is it permissible to serve the meat off the bone? How do you serve them?

I serve them on the bone. Great presentation factor. I find shanks come in a range of sizes so I often buy a couple of smaller ones for those with smaller appetites. Really there is a good amount of meat but they look bigger than they are. I cut around the base of the bone to release the tendons so once braised the meat pulls into a ball like a lollipop

That's what I think, too. The ones I got are not very big, but still look like a lot of meat to me. I totally appreciate the drama of serving the whole thing, but then, what do I do if someone leaves a substantial quantity?? I'm not sure I'd want to eat or serve the leftovers. . .

agree with scubadoo, I usuallly serve them whole - therefore I buy sizes accordingly, and they really do look much bigger than the amount of meat.....either way, reminds me I haven't made lamb shanks in a while and I neeed to!

I ask the butcher to cut the lamb shanks in half sometimes. Especially if they're large. That makes a better serving size. They look better if served on the bone -- or they look more like what they are.